New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-01
IN A BIG LIBRARY.
TYPES OF READERS AT THE MERCANTILE.

husv Broaawsy into tho readinsFoom Oh VIC
Mercantile Library-is but step. hn..o
with a comfortable chair, ana AL VIZ
,eaai,g curreut English literature practically "i'nll
- ,or "a, white away a dull hour or two most
e,santly In one little particular this is much more
comfortable than any Of the reading rooms a''ao..1
the free libraries and you will notice ms ~ ohoe
ARE I'm the habit Of frcquenting such places Id %
YOU have 10 select certain magazine or o'nns' 80
vour order and 20 up TO the desk and walt Tor o"
-. n 20 s,rou IN inst 20 Kill time, you look over
,ha coto,oc,,e inst "a man with poor appeue iooAs
over the hill of fare In strange restaurant anu o
make ND your mind what 10 order whlle neTe az ~
Mercantile all the magazines and Journals are reaoy
your hand, and you can look them over ono " ~.
mother picking here bit and there O oir'"i'n a." VIZ
cayelcss enoynent of fat wether In howery mea"o".
When tired Of reading Jon can watch inc pe',,"ss
crowd on the street below with selfish equan'hny anu
with soft sigh OF thsnkulness mingic the prayer o 'ne
pride-hlown Pharisee. - .....,o,
A. ,on en,er Won are Immediately struck by the awIu
stiffness You step as gingerly over the "aaen ho %
fir a church during prayer time ana every 'eo AZ
of your shoes Ills you with nervous fear that 10" are
turbine somebody. Then your umbrella diopo wa"
rattle and dull wet fop but no one looks up yo"n
Follow with hair brushed straight from his loiehe"
peeps shyly around the corner OF his newspaper a" 49,
and this little action with his seamless halr' "' ~
marks him as a foreigner He Is waiting lora Po
s correspondent In mercantile house and comes mere
studv the advertisements He has evidently "@'eu
some time You eau tell this not much by us care
fully brushed and rather shiny coat as py 'po sn'
hunted look in his large dark eyes, Hei nervous no
has lost all self-confdence, and pretty hiuoh az s.
respect Probably he had some slight MISUNDERSTANDING
with his employer and proudly resigned IN the penoi
that smart ycung fellow such IA he could easily secure
another position. Days crept into weeks ana niSoi
on to months, and still he was unemployed NoUous
seemed to want him. and his pride bowed lower anu
hs fRhn
able and to harbor gloomy thoughts II is no. SO
poverty but forced inactivity that making OF his nha
amental wreck. Now next week II you 'rop III nei.'
YOU will not see him Pride Will have oecn Vanlmsheu
He will have nervously called to see friend that iSe
shame hitherto kept him frsm. and DO working away
with new energy and the vexed feeling HOW cas-! Z"
was. Why dbl not go TO him at first''
AN INSTITUTION MANAGED BY CLERKS.
Very few clerks here to look over the advertise
ments. however although this is an institution "hch
practically owned and entirely managed by CLERKS.
John Byers the president is clerk In large dry-gooos
house A. Wenore the secretary, clerk in the chase
National Bank and among the directors are a. H.
sim,son cashier of the Continental National bank
W. d. seares, vice president of the Farmers Loan ana
Trust Company, and Alexander NJ Easlesson' paying
teller OF the Citizens National Bank Anybody OF gooo
character can nowadays become member on paying
his S5 but 10 held Office or even to VOTE the member
must be clerk working on salary IN some nerchnte
business There's little old fellow just gong out 10 LIS
luncheon who could probably tell you OF the nrst
meeting of clerks held in the old Tontne Codee House IN
1eoo for the formation Of this institution. But in all
protabty he wouldn't do anything OF tho kind sWhen
the present principal business street was simply known
as tho Broad Way he shipping clerk in an IRON ware
house in Water-st. What Interesting "Reminiscences ho
could tell II he only would!
Tbera are number of these old time cerksyhere in the
day time In fact they the reading sort OF
club andday after day you viii see the same faces That
starts another thought Does much reading make men
unsocial These quiet gentlemen walk H. lay ther has
ana canes In accustomed places, ard search the arm
chairs 60 which they have become habituated- II
stranger holds it, there is little lowering OF the orows
and deep sigh of discomfort But no comment 1here
Is a fine old gentleman seated by the window, his gray
hair close cropped and showing the high collar buttoned
behind and the junction OF the high satin stock just
now he lays aside his newspaper places his godr1mmed
spectacles his right hand waiscoaf pocket ana then
stands for a moment while his eyes gradually recover
what is left OF their long focus Then ne cons MS
hat and the Sinclair House around the corner
for frugal luncheon In half an hour he Is back again
and eager return to his reading There are number
of these men retired from business Sn s ne 6aTe
nothing whatever TO do In life but 10 read There is
cha, mea9derng over his low-cut satin waiseoat 1t
would enjoyable to talk to him about this Duiung
OF Forrest attacked il When acready play and
how the tn Regiment had to Se called out 70 aSe
him morze artificial life Of today. when man
This would entertaning no doubt but the old gentle
man. despite his healthy % tS Of scna Old age
seens 20 have died Tor want OF practce ana PROB
,u or buried beyond resurrection under the heaps of
dreams which constant reading has created .,
places seated At the centre table taking mp SnS %
after another and hureay gacng s, e 1O a s she
seems to pay most attention TO the Engnsh magazines
do%n any pretty thoughts that she comes across which
are conveyed in what seems 70 FER orlgina PHRASE
would IKE to write article about This having been
secured with trouble Sp o pTs sOe
upon it As If they were % many IeooIed geaas 70 20
ing in its originality as lack OF logic Poor little
Foar or i've YEAR, ago she made me % do
Won become religious editor q Miss Glynn; able as
sae Is s tine aesaoD and her advice very probably
was not encouraging But tho little woman vas deter
mined to g9 a@ 9Sr her Immediate friends she had Won
that proud distineon-and that Is pretty mnen al sue
reward you win SO 1t is 70 the snstaGt but sne
unsold
TnF VISITORS IN THE EVENING.
In the evening there few other ladies, not many
though as the buh them get their books from the
circulating brar, acros, the hall and do their reading
at home Many clerks and business men drop into the
readngroom in the evenings, and the old foges are
swallowed up in the miscellaneous but always we'll
dressed crowd fact It etrikcs then that the large
readngroom does not afford sufficient accommodation
Rnt the trong is continually changing and many walk
across the hall get books to carry home During tho
day YOU see many ladies here and before the branch was
opened at No 426 Fifth-ave you would see many hand
somey dresset ladies WITH delicate. artistic tinge on
their proud cheeks who known only as ladies' maids
The children going home from school change many
books land in the evening many big boys and modesty
dressed girls going homo from their Work call In for
reading matter.
OF tho books taken fiction has, OF course the lead
The setion readers are estimated at co per and the
eiher 40 Is up OF history literature mathematics
natural history the sciences and political economy. The
latter Il subject being largely read and the revival
NJ interest In IL dates from the candidacy OF Henry